Wednesday, 25 March 2015

Set in modern day Karachi the film stars Mahira Khan, Adeel Hussain and Shaheryar Munawar.

The story revolves around the characters friendship and how Arhan, Manizeh and Nadir's love for music changes their lives.

The story revolves around Arhan, Manizeh and Nadir love for music and the friendships that change over time. Mahira wears a sleeveless top and is flanked by the two actors (who famously dueled with lightsabers on her talk show last year). Munawar looks artsy as he sports a french beard.

Mahira Khan is also set to appear in in upcoming film Raees with Shahrukh Khan and Bin roye Aansoo.

She can currently be seen in Sadqay Tumharey.

Monday, 23 March 2015

KARACHI: Released in October last year along with Zeba Bakhtiar’s Shaan-starrer Operation 21 and Bang Bang – Bollywood’s remakeNight & Day—Na Maloom Afraad has crossed 165 days of running in cinemas in Karachi and Islamabad. The film has done a record business of Rs12.2 crore in the 22 weeks it has been running.

Ever since the release of Shoaib Mansoor’s Khuda Kay Liye in 2007, Na Maloom Afraad is the first movie to have achieved this milestone. Previously, Shaan’s Waar held the record of running in cinemas for 163 days. The 1977 Lollywood flick Aina starring Shabnam and Nadeem still holds the record of the longest running Pakistani film ever with over 401 weeks.

Directed by Nabeel Qureshi, Na Maloom Afraad stars Javed Sheikh, Fahad Mustafa, Urwa Hocane, Mohsin Abbas Haider and the veteran Salman Shahid in key roles. Set in Karachi, the film tells the story of three friends who find themselves neck deep in trouble with the city’s drug mafia.

After the tremendous success of Na Maloom Afraad in Pakistan, the film is also set to release in Australia later this year.

Saturday, 21 March 2015

KARACHI: A 15-second teaser of upcoming Pakistani filmKarachi Se Lahoreis creating quite a buzz on social media. It features Ayesha Omar who appears on the screen for only four seconds and manages to take away your breath and your heart in that brief moment.

Here, see for yourself:

Although you can’t tell from the teaser, Ayesha has a lead role in the film and is certainly not playing an ‘item girl’. “The song is not really an item number because most item songs feature actors who are in the movie only for the duration of the song. I am the lead actress in this film,” Ayesha said while speaking toThe Express Tribune.

Karachi Se Lahore, in fact,is a road movie which revolves around a journey undertaken by a group of friends and their encounters while travelling.

PHOTO: facebook.com/KarachiseLahore

When asked how her fans reacted to the teaser Ayesha said, “It’s a fantastic reaction. To tell you the truth, in spite of Bulbulay’s success I wasn’t too confident the video would get such a huge response.”

She said the director of the film, Wajahat Rauf, is also overwhelmed by the feedback and is excited to release more bits from the film soon. “We are working really hard on it. In fact we haven’t even finished shooting. Our goal is to make sure people love the film,” she added.

Ayesha’s look in the teaser is completely different from her look in the film’s poster. When asked how the item number fits in with her character and in a road movie she said, “Well you have to watch the film to find out!”

The film opens well despite releasing on the day of Pakistan's quarter-final with Australia

KARACHI: Pakistani cricket team’s early exit from the ICC World Cup may have been disappointing but the business of local film Jalaibee gives the country a reason to smile.

After releasing on 37 sights and 71 screens across the country, Yasir Jaswal’sJalaibeeearned a total of approximately Rs1 crore (Rs10 million) (exact figures yet to be compiled) on its opening day. The figures were confirmed by ARY Films, the movie’s distributor. This is also the biggest opening for any non-holiday/festival release in Pakistan so far.

Cinemas elsewhere didn’t get as massive a response, as is reflected in the figures. “The occupancy in Cinepax Cinemas during the opening shows was around 50 to 70 per cent. We will have a much clearer picture towards the end of the day and weekend,” Abid Ali Zaidi, assistant marketing manager at Cinepax Cinemas, toldThe Express Tribune.

As expected, given its content, the film received a lukewarm response in single-screen cinemas. “The response toJalaibee, so far, has been average, not outstanding. This can partly be due to the match that was played yesterday, but the business may eventually pick up as the week progresses,” shared Sheikh Adeel Imtiaz, owner of Bambino Cinema.

Imtiaz added that the film’s opening hasn’t been as good asNa Maloom Afraad’s, owing to frequent use of English in the film, as was the case withOperation 021, which single-screen audiences didn’t receive well. Imtiaz explained that films, such asJalaibee, benefit from word-of-mouth, and that hasn’t picked up pace yet.

There is a series of factors that will mark the fate of the film at the Pakistani box office.Jalaibeehas possibly been the safest Pakistani release, facing limited competition from any Bollywood film. Anushka Sharma’sNH10, Shah Rukh Khan’sDevdasand Lily James’Cinderellaare the only possible competitors forJalaibee. WhereDevdaswill only get a cult response,NH10has already had its fairly unimpressive run at the local box office. Plus, a film likeCinderellais unlikely to have an impact on the business of a much-hyped Pakistani film.

In contrast,Na Maloom Afraad, a film that has a lot in common withJalaibee, both in terms of content and their producers’ box-office expectations, proved to be successful in a tough situation. Although it released on Eidul Azha, the film managed to create its own following and revenue regardless of being sandwiched between the Shaan-starrerOperation 021and Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif’sBang Bang.

Expectations

Jalaibee will earn Rs3 crore over the weekend

Single-screen cinemas will remove the film from evening slots after the weekend

Friday, 13 March 2015

The film’s cast personally sold tickets at the Atrium cinema and members of the media were treated to an exclusive one-minute preview of the song ‘Jawani’ at the event. PHOTOS: PUBLICITY

KARACHI:

Each passing instant leads to a boost in anticipation, when it comes to the release ofJalaibee. Bouts of keenness have augmented exponentially after the movie’s official ‘Meet the Press’ event.

Held on Tuesday and hosted by cast member Ali Safina, the event comprised three separate panels where journalists, media representatives and Twitteratis got an exclusive chance to interact with the film crew and gain knowledge of what went on behind the scenes.

Unlike other press conferences where the media is educated on the production and enlightened about the cast, this particular event was ostensibly different.

Cast members candidly discussed their personal struggles of making it in the Pakistani entertainment industry. Sajid Hasan revealed that he had initially turned down Yasir Jaswal’s offer, with the idea in mind that making a movie in an industry like that of Pakistan is a blunder. It was the director’s continual perseverance that in fact, won Hasan on board.

Once the film began shooting, Hasan realised that he would have made a grave slip-up by turning down the offer. The actor was pleasantly surprised by the film’s structure and content plus the highly professional environment on set.

Accentuating the lighter side of the evening, Wiqar Ali Khan decided to amuse those in attendance by briefly integrating Pashto, English and broken-Urdu while addressing the press.

Despite all the fun and frolick, all eyes were on Zhalay Sarhadi, especially after audiences got a sneak peek of an exclusive one-minute preview of the performance song ‘Jawani’ from the movie. Sarhadi who plays the role of the bar dancer Bunno in the movie, noted that she had turned down several roles before agreeing to carry out her part inJalaibee. The fact that it was an action movie got her all keyed up to say yes to the offer.

Reminiscing at the occasion, Yasir Jaswal disclosed his journey to filmdom with the whole cast and crew ofJalaibee. He revealed that he had to shoot the film in two spells since they initially worked on limited resources. But, once the teaser for the film released, several companies illustrated interest in backing the diverse venture.

The director added, “Jalaibeeis a sincere attempt to add new flavour to the Pakistani film fraternity. The idea was to create something exciting that would entertain and capture the attention of audiences worldwide.”

Salman Iqbal, founder and president of theARY Digital Networkexpressed his satisfaction and enthusiasm over the finished project stating that it is heartening to witness films of an international-caliber being produced in the country.

“Jalaibeewill set the trend for good action-packed-adventure films, which will surely lure audiences to theatres for a fun filled experience,” hoped Iqbal.

Jalaibee, which boasts of an ensemble cast, includes Sajid Hasan, Danish Taimoor, Ali Safina, Wiqar Ali Khan, Zhalay Sarhadi and Umair Jaswal in pivotal roles. The film is set to release on March 20 nation-wide and will simultaneously be released in six nations worldwide, including USA, UK, Australia and UAE.

The movie’s soundtrack is also expected to release in the coming few days and features a blend of both local and international artistes, such as Uzair Jaswal, Umair Jaswal, Humera Arshad, Shizzio and Coastal.

Tuesday, 10 March 2015

KARACHI: Upcoming Pakistani filmJalaibeehas set a rather unique record. The yet-to-release movie has already made Rs5 million in advance ticket sales.

During a press conference on Tuesday, founder and CEO of ARY Digital Salman Iqbal revealed that real estate tycoon Malik Riaz has purchased 10,000 tickets ofJalaibeefor members of Bahria Town.

“The film has already done a business of Rs5 million, two weeks prior to its release,” he said.

Bahria Town residents however will need to register in order to avail the free tickets.

Seems like the films producers are going all out in promoting their movie. Earlier,Jalaibee‘s distributor ARY Films, in collaboration with Malik Riaz, had announced that they would be offering gold worth the price of a ticket to anyone who will watch the film in Bahria Town cinemas.

One of the highlights of the film is its versatile director Yasir Jaswal. The young writer-director spoke to The Express Tribune about his soon-to-be released film.

“Jalaibee is a film about eight people and how their lives are intertwined after a sequence of events,” he said. “Two of the major characters in the film are Billu (Danish Taimoor) and Bugga (Ali Safina), friends who get entangled in a debt with the local mafia called The Unit,” Yasir said, specifying that a central theme of the film is greed and how it wields its sledgehammer on those involved.

Initially expected to release during the summer of 2014, Jalaibee is now set to hit the cinemas on March 20. Explaining the reason for the delay, Yasir said, “The production team had run out of funds and the reason behind releasing the teaser was strategic. Wanting to get financers on board, we worked on the pre-production of the film quite extensively, which resulted in delay of the film’s release.”

Thursday, 5 March 2015

It took Adnan Jaffar a multitude of jobs before he realized that acting was his true vocation. PHOTOS: FILE

KARACHI:

Anyone hearing the story of Adnan Jaffar’s life for the first time is likely to get the impression they are hearing a coming-of-age story in the same vein as of the movie500 Days of Summer. Like the perplexed Tom Hansen in the movie, Jaffar too had initially dabbled into a career he seemed to care very little about — news anchoring. Having already carved an impressive portfolio both on stage and television with serials likeAun ZaraandJackson Heights, the actor is looking to build upon his filmography starting with the crime caperJalaibee.

Despite the success, it has not been an easy ride for the actor. Having acquired an undergraduate degree from the United States, Jaffar returned to Pakistan at the turn of the century to try his luck at news anchoring. Regardless of a stable job and healthy income, things just didn’t seem to click for him and he continued to quit jobs before he could even settle in.

He attributed his pendulum shifts to his ‘busy body’ nature saying, “I just couldn’t sit still.” “When I was doing those jobs, I used to be depressed. When I was unemployed, I was even more depressed because I had no money,” he recalled.

Although having a ‘family cushion’ behind him, his parents were still concerned for his well-being. Like every individual, seeking independence and harnessing a strong desire to make it on their own, Jaffar moved from his family abode into a studio apartment – albeit for a few months.

“The stuff I was doing just wasn’t sitting well with them (Jaffar’s parents). When you’ve been sent to study abroad there are expectations of elders and family members and I come from a family of professionals,” said the actor.

During this process, Jaffar resumed his old habit of reading. “I picked up books and was reading a lot and I was just lost in that world of characters and stories and I just never wanted to keep down the book to face the ground reality,” stated the actor.

Jaffar heard about the National Academy of Performing Arts (Napa) during his last job at a local news channel. He took a leap of faith by deciding to quit his job and pursue his dream career. Once enrolled at Napa, he realised his lack of linguistic skills in Urdu. But he was determined this time and things finally seemed to fall into place.

“Over there, I picked up Urdu, the Urdu diction the dramatic rendition of Urdu,” he said.

One of the hallmarks of all the great actors is their distinct voice and having already worked as an anchor, Jaffar developed this quality quite a bit. But, it was under the guidance of Napa’s voice teacher, Khaled Ahmed, that he learnt how to use this weapon at its utmost abilities.

Acting seemed to have instilled the competitive edge and drive that Jaffar had been longing for all his life, with the stage suddenly becoming an ‘arena’ for him where he was a ‘gladiator’ whose only aim was to, “go out there and win.”

Jaffar continued to excel at an alarming pace, something which did not go unnoticed by his teachers. All of his efforts and hard work culminated in earning a prestigious role inOedipus Rex, a play directed by Zia Moheyuddin.

Even his parents started taking pride in their son’s achievements. Looking back at that period of uncertainty in his life, he believes that it has not been wasted and has contributed to his acting skills in one way or another.

According to Jaffar, this is most evident in his performance as Dara inJalaibee. He has taken inspiration from his friend Bilal Sarhadi, a person whom he credits for instilling the ‘passion, fire andjunoon’ into his acting career.

Jaffar already has several projects lined up, which includes appearances in feature filmsMoorandManto. Apart from working with directors like Jamil Dehlvi and Sabiha Sumar, he really wants to help other upcoming actors. He has already started a small reading group with his wife for this purpos

Sunday, 1 March 2015

The Paranormal Larkanafield Project: Found film comes to Pakistan

Pakistan’s first ‘found footage’ film ‘Paranormal Karachi Nights’ has got a new name – it will be now called ‘Aksbandh’.

As described on the film official Facebook page it is a story of five young filmmakers who suddenly disappear while shooting in the woods near Drigh Lake Larakana in January 2014. A week later their camera was found containing details about what happened to them.

Produced by ARY Muzik VJ and actor Ayaaz Samoo (you may have caught him in a thrilling action sequence in 021) and Maqbool Ahmed Durrari the horror flick will be directed by Imran Hussain. The cast of the film is mostly comprised of novice artists including Saud Imtiaz, Danial, Bilal Yusafzai, Ayaz Samoo, Shehzeen Rahat and Mahrukh Rizvi.

The first official teaser of the film was released in December 2014 showing a wheel chair and a few hazy images with the tagline ‘frightening soon.’ This is the first time ‘found footage’ genre has been experimented by a local filmmaker but in Hollywood it’s a tried and tested style where several hit films have been made on it like Paranormal series, Cloverfield and REC .